2 Russians Accused of ID Theft for Smartphone Buys

BATON ROUGE, La. - Federal agents allege that two Russian women living in New York state used fake IDs to get dozens of cheap iPhones in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma by taking out long-term contracts under other people's names.

U.S. Attorney Donald Cazayoux Jr. says bills of information charge Gulnara Rothwell and Olga Neye each with aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to get and use false identification.

Court papers show that Rothwell has agreed to plead guilty. Cazayoux says prosecutors are working with Neye.

The Advocate reports that an Iberville Parish sheriff's deputy stopped the women's car for speeding late April 1, got permission to search it and found 27 driver's licenses with their photos but other people's ID. A sworn statement says the rented car also held 81 iPhones.

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